‘Neonly’: the exhibition title alone gives us a foretaste of Morellet’s sense of irony
and his enjoyment in playing with words and with visual ideas. On display are
seven ‘neon’ works from the period 1972–2011 whose structure is derived from
neon tubes - a visual medium specific to the 20th century.
Born in Cholet, France, in 1926, François Morellet is one of the most important figures
in Concrete Art. Since the 1950s he has used geometric systems and structures to
create a diverse body of work, which oscillates between regimentation and decay,
order and chaos, severity and humour.
In 1960 he was one of the founders of the GRAV group (Groupe de Recherche
d’Art Visuel), a conglomeration of artists working in the kinetic medium that
included Julio le Parc, Horacio Garcia Rossi and Yvaral, who sought to adopt a
scientifically experimental approach in exploring the possibilities of the visual
fine arts.
Morellet first began working with neon tube lighting in 1963, making him one of
the first artists to incorporate the materiality of neon in his work. What interests
Morellet are the specific qualities of the tubes themselves: their fluorescence,
the automatic circuit controls and the industrial nature of their production.
‘This new material opens the door to a multitude of new experiments in visual art:
programming, image sequencing, controlled eye movements, light rhythms and
more.’ (Morellet 1965)
Numerous important solo exhibitions have been dedicated to the artist’s works,
including at the Stedelijk Van Abbemuseum, Eindhoven (1971), the Neue
Nationalgalerie, Berlin (1977), the Brooklyn Museum, New York (1984), the Centre
Pompidou, Paris and Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam (1986), Jeu de Paume, Paris
(2000) and in 2011 at the Centre Pompidou once again for the ‘Réinstallations’
exhibition.